World Heritage Listing: Australian sites

Photographer : Hamish McCool

Have you ever wondered if your favourite national park or wilderness area will be around for your children’s children to enjoy? Are there sites around Australia that you feel should be saved for their cultural heritage? Well, they can be. Read on…

World Heritage Listing is a project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Some of the most famous sites in the world are on the list, including the Taj Mahal in India, the pyramids in Egypt and Machu Picchu in Peru.

Australian Sites

There are currently 16 World Heritage Sites in Australia. These include many of the most famous places in the country, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains and Uluru. The complete list of Australian sites is:

• Great Barrier Reef
• Kakadu National Park
• Willandra Lakes Region
• Lord Howe Island Group
• Tasmanian Wilderness
• Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (Australia)
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
• Wet Tropics of Queensland
• Shark Bay, Western Australia
• Fraser Island
• Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh/ Naracote)
• Heard and McDonald Islands
• Macquarie Island
• Greater Blue Mountains Area
• Purnululu National Park
• Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

Why is it important to have sites on the World Heritage List?

World Heritage Listing gives sites international exposure. Suddenly issues affecting those sites become important not only to the people who live in the area or the country, but to the international community—they are part of the world’s cultural heritage. Being on the World Heritage List also attracts tourists which can help the economy of the surrounding regions.

The Australian government is working to add more sites to the list and you can help! Check out the Things to do to find out how.

How do I know this?

Australian Heritage Directory, http://www.heritage.gov.au

World Heritage Centre, http://whc.unesco.org/